Float-valve.



No. 633,35l.

l Patented Sept. I9, |899. H. G. TILLINGHAST.

FLOAT VALVE.

` (Application med my 1o, 1899.) (No Mo'del.)

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Attorney.

(LMA/. ua-mj.,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY G. TILLINGHAST, OF IALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

FLOAT-VA LVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 633,351, dated September 19, 1899.

Application iled May 10, 1899.

T0 @ZZ whom it 'rn/ry concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY G. TILLINGHAST,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Float hValves, of which the following is a speci- Iication.

Y This invention relates to an improved suppl y-valve for water tanks or reservoirs which are operated by a float and rod in the tank, whereby the valve is opened by the outflow and closed by the inflow of water automatically.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved valve whereby the movement of the valve is not at all affected by the preliminary outiiow or inflow and whereby the operation of opening and closing the valve will be quick and prevent the usual noise accompanying the operation of ordinary valves of this class.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanyin g drawings, in which-v Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section lhrou gh a tank wherein my improved valve is employed and shows the usual float and rod connecting the valve. Fig. 2 is a vertical section, on a larger scale, through a portion of the valve and shows the construction and relative arrangement of the parts when the valve is closed. Fig. 3 is a detail of a portion of the vertical plunger-stem carrying the rockercam. Fig. et illustrates the valve, the part-s being in the position they assume when the water is running. In this iigu re the valve-1ever is suitable for a faucet.

In the drawings, A designates a valve-casing having an extension a, which is designed to connect with a supply-pipe. In the valvecase, above the extension, is a port b, through which a vertically-movable valve stem c passes. This stem c carries at its lower end and below the port an elastic or ball valve d, which is secured in place on the stem by a nut e. A spiral spring e/ has position in the extension d beneath the valve d and serves to press the valve to its seat. One end of said spring bears on the valve, and the other end rests on a screw-plug f, retained in said eX- tension. Above the port b is a vchamber g, from which is an opening g', that permits the water to discharge into the tank when the valve dis unseated. The casing A is also pro- Serial No. 716,251. (No model.) y

vided with two vertically-extending arms h, which are inclined a little to one side.

The casing A is provided above the chamber with a vertical bored-out guideway 7s,

l down into which the lower end of a plunger m extends.- This lower end is tapped and threaded and exteriorly carries a washer Z, which lits snugly `in said guideway lo and makes a water-tight joint and prevents leak ing upward through said guideway. The upper threaded end of the valve-stem c takes into the tapped end -of the plunger m, and a nut Z compresses the washer. At its upper end the plunger m has two parallel arms n, forming a fork, and a rocker-cam t' is free t0 turn loosely in said fork.' The fork and rocker-cam have position between the two vertically-extending arms h on the case. Said plunger m, rocker-carni, stem c, and valve d have all a vertical movement and are normally moved upward and closed by the pressure of the spring. It will also be seen that 'by my present construction the valve closes with the pressure of water and is held to its seat by such pressure and opens against the pressure.

A floatlever r is attached by a pivot pin or bolt .s between Ithe two arms h on the Lease. This lever carries at its extremity the ballfloatj. This lever has on its under side a notch p, which engages the rocker-cam This notch is'elongated and is adapted torreceive at one end a point of the rocker-cam when the float-lever is raised, as in Fig. 2, and to receive at the opposite end a point of said rocker-cam when the valve is lowered, as in Fig. 4. The lever also has a convexcurved face t on its under side. cam rl in the present instance has four points 1l and a concave face i2 between every two points. This rocker-cam is centrally pivoted and may revolve, though it is not necessary that it shall revolve in its operation. Usually it will simply tilt back when the float-lever comes down and tilt forward when the floatlevergoes up. When the valve-lever is down, as in FigAz, that point of the rocker-cama' which is in the notch is nearly in line between the pivot-bolt s and the pivot of the rockercam, and the convex-curved face t on the lever rests on a concave face 2,'and the valve is then held open.

IOO

Referring to Fig. 4, it will be seen that by a slight modification of the float-lever the valve may be used in the form of a faucet. In this device the long rod and ball-lioat are dispensed with and a knob u, is xed on the lever. A nozzle q is also provided which communicates with the chamber g of the valve-casing.

'lhe operation of the valve is simple and eiective. Suppose the tank to be. empty. The floatdever r will have lthe position shown in Fig. 'L, with the notch 1) engaging the rocker-cam i and pressing saine and plunger down. This lowered position causes the rod ym and valve-stern c to be pushed down against the spring e and the valve (l to be unseated from contact with the port b and permits the water to pass up. In this position the rockercam z', havinga concave face, receives the convex-curved face on the lever, and one of the points of the rocker-cam takes in the notch p, and the lever is thus retained in the lowered position, as already explained. As the tank or reservoir fills the floatwill gradually rise and cause the lever to gradually rise. During the preliminary part of this operation (the gradual rising of the lever) no vertical movement is imparted to the plunger-rod and valvestem c. Nearly all of the-preliminary movement of the lever is taken up by the tilting ofthe rocker-earn 1', which is caused by the notch p changing its position and carrying the rocker with it until the point of the rocker is carried past the line of its pivotpoint, whereupon bythe action of the spring c it will be thrown over to the position shown in Fig. 2, and the rod and valve-stern will immediately be forced upward by the action of the spring and the valve instantly closed.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination Aof a casing having a chamber provided at one side with an inletport and at the opposite side with a guideway; two stationary upward-extending arms, h, attached to the casing; a plunger fitting l movably in said guideway, the upper end of said plunger being slotted and forming forkarms, n, which latter have position between the said two stationary arms of the casing; a rocker-cam, i, having a concave face, i2, and a projecting point, i', at each end of saidface and pivoted between the said two fork-arms of the plunger; a valve-rod extending through the chamber and inlet-port and one end of which is secured to the said plunger; a valve attached to the other end of the rod outside of the chamber, and a float-lever pivoted ,between the said two upward-extending arms of the casing and provided with a notch, p, which engages first one and then the other projecting point of said rocker-cam, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a casing having a chamber provided with an outlet-port, a central guideway and two stationary arms projecting above the chamber; a removable bottoni provided with a central opening which forms a valve seat and having a screwthreaded tubular extension, a; a plunger passing through said guideway and having at one end a slot which forms two fork-arms, u; a rocker-cam, t', pivoted between said two fork-arms and independently movable therein; a valve-rod extending through the chamber one end of which is Secured to the plunger and the other end passing through the central opening in the bottom of the chamber and into the tubular extension, a; a valve attached to the rod and having position in the said tubular extension; a spiral springin the tubular extension and pressing the valve on its seat, and a float-lever pivoted between the said two upward-extending arms of the casing and contacting with the pivoted rockercam, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY G. TILLINGIIAS'I.

XVitnesses:

CHARLES B. MANN, J r., Gno. KOETHER. 

